1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to power bits, more particularly to a method for storing and displaying same, and also a method for accessing same.
2. Description of Prior Art:
The term "power bit" refers to elements typically used for driving fastener devices, such as screws, nuts and bolts. The most commonly used power bits generally have a hexagonally configured shank and a groove extending about the shank with a flat portion disposed at the bottom of the groove between two radiused portions. Such power bits have been used since at least 1930 and their use has increased substantially in recent years.
The American National Standards Institute has a specification for such tools known as ANSI B 107.4. The standard refers to driving and spindle ends for power bits for portable hand, air and electric tools. These power bits were initially developed for portable hand operated power tools having chucks with hexagonal bores to receive and transmit torque to the bits. The non-slip positive retention of the polygonal mating bit shank and chuck bore was deemed necessary because of the relative high torque required for driving threaded fasteners. The common three jaw key chuck, used primarily with round shank tools, such as drills, has a torque limiting characteristic in that slippage occurs when the driving torque exceeds the largely frictional holding force of the jaws.
In addition to the positive torque transmission of the hexagon shank, the annular groove in the power bit shank provides high restraining forces against axial pull out forces when used in conjunction with a detenting feature, such as a ball or pin with restrained radial movement, found in most power chucks with hexagonal bores. Examples of chucks are found in Decker U.S. Pat. No. 1,642,490 and Lafferty SR, U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,533. Although power bits are frequently used in three jaw key chucks, the quick release feature of the groove and detent is not available so that the key must be used for bit insertion and removal. While the three jaw key chuck is common on nearly all hand power drills, quick release chucks, having hexagonal bores and detenting features, have been developed to replace the three jaw chucks on the power tool spindle, or to be used in conjunction with the three jaw key chuck. An example of the latter is shown in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,973.
With the rapidly increasing use of power screw drivers, using the hexagonal bore power chuck, and increased use of high torque variable speed hand power drills, both line and battery powered; and with the introduction of quick release chucks for these drills, the use of power tools with the ANSI hex shank configuration is growing exponentially. Further impetus for this expansion is being generated by the recent introduction of twist drills incorporating this power shank. While methods for storing and displaying round shank drills have become commonplace, the same cannot be said for power bits and tools incorporating the referenced ANSI hexagon power shank.
The most common method for storing round shank tools, such as drills and reamers, is what is referred to as a bit box or a bit index. These generally take two forms. For the industrial market this takes the form of a metal box, with hinged compartments, referred to as inserts or panels. These contain rows of differing size holes corresponding to the tool or drill diameter to be mounted therein. The compartments or inserts are generally formed of sheet metal and have two rows of corresponding holes to hold the tools in unidirectional alignment to each other. Because of the differing lengths of the drills or tools, usually bearing a proportional relationship to the diameter, the box is tapered to constrain the tools from coming out of their mounting holes in the hinged compartments when the bits are in the down or constrained position parallel to the box bottom when the lid of the box is closed. If the box is not tapered to accomplish this, then fences, known as stops, are attached to the bottom of the box. They are either diagonal, stepped, or individual to restrain the tool of a corresponding length.
In this type of box, the drills or tools are removed when the tools are rotated upward about the hinge, away from the bottom of the box, and when the end of the drill bit or tool clears the restraining fence feature. A variation of this type of box has the box hinged so that the portion of the box, having the tapered end or the tool constraining fences, can be rotated away from the tools allowing them to clear the fencing feature, thus permitting removal of the drills or tools. A commonality of these boxes is the requirement for individually sized holes and a fencing feature when the tools are in the rotated down position parallel to the box bottom, in a position for the box lid closure.
For the consumer market the round shank drills or tools are generally stored and packaged in a molded plastic box, usually with two rows of plastic detents molded into the bottom, or both the bottom and top of the hinged box. As with the metal bit boxes described, the molded in detents are individually sized for the diameter of the tool to be constrained. An advantage for this type of bit box is that the fence type constraints of the metal type box are not required, although the boxes are frequently tapered on one end to conform to the graduated bit lengths. A disadvantage of this box is that the detent features holding the drills wear with frequent use, at some point failing to restrain the tool. The frequent or industrial user will generally prefer the metal box, electing to replace the bits rather than the box.
Since both type boxes are normally opaque, the display features of the tools within is minimal. If the tools are packaged for display purposes, the method is generally to skin or blister pack the carded tools, offering minimal storage utility as the packaging is normally discarded.
Although both the above type of boxes have been used for packaging and storage of the hexagon power shank bits and tools, the limitations noted above still exist. A modification of the above method of packaging and storing the power shank bits and tools is a circular or tubular plastic box with hole or tubular compartments arrayed around and parallel to the central axis of the box. Originally designed for drill bits, the tubular compartments were molded to various internal diameters and lengths to accommodate the varying drill bits. The bits were constrained by either a removable plastic cap or an axially restrained cap with a single opening which could be dialed to the desired tool.
Both of the above type of plastic boxes are inherently limited to a narrow range of bit diameters and lengths although adapted to accommodate hexagon shank power bits. Because of the high cost of injection mold tooling, these boxes are generally made for a specific set of tools similar in function and of a limited range of sizes; the demand for which can justify the high initial tooling costs. The same, to a lesser degree, applies to the common metal bit index boxes.
Because of the limitations cited above, for currently available means to store and display the wide range of bits and tools incorporating the hexagon power shank, a need currently exits for a more versatile and more economical way to store and display these tools. It is this need that the present invention addresses.
The apparatus of the present invention, using the unique features of the hexagon power shank, offers a new and useful means for constraining these tools for both storage and display.